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Zak's Next Chapter

Zak's Adoption Day

I have a feeling that all parents who have a special needs
child feel the balancing act that comes with trying new things to take their
child to the next level and accepting that there child will never be ‘normal’
(whatever that is).I’ve read as many
books as I could get my hands on about autism; and I have tried many
things.

Through the years there was one
thing I always wanted to try – I wanted to send my son to a school that would
meet his special needs - and build his
faith in God.

I had grown up hearing about Pastor Vaughn and his wife and
daughter who were badly burned in a house fire.I was seven when I heard about the little girl who had been burned so
badly.I had prayed for her – and for
her mother.I had thought about how
horrible it would be to suffer so badly.Through the years, I had heard about how she had miraculously recovered
and how her Dad had started a Christian school for children with special needs.

When Zak was diagnosed with Autism I went on their website
and looked at the school way down in South Carolina; and I wished so badly that
we lived closer so that Zak could go to that school.Then I realized that even if we lived closer
– there was no way we could afford to send him to a school like that.I can’t count how many times in the past ten
years I have pulled up Hidden Treasure Christian School’s website and dreamed
about how wonderful it would be if Zak could go there; only to exit out of the
site knowing there was no way it could ever happen.

The first time my husband and I walked through the school I
had to keep the tears in.To be standing
on the property of the school I had longed for so many times was
overwhelming.Watching as the teachers
worked with the children I knew that this school would be so wonderful for Zak.
While we were touring campus I came
across a quote made by the founder of the school. I knew as soon as I read it that God was going
to somehow move us to Greenville and was going to have Zak go to the
school.

“Every child has everything he/she needs to do the will of
God for their lives.”

As soon as I read that quote I burst out into tears. The quote touched me deeply; because there
have been so many times in the past ten years I had wished for the autism to be
gone and Zak to be normal.Through the Holy
Spirit’s guiding I have realized that Zaks’ autism and all his other diagnosis’
are not mistakes - they are part of God’s sovereign plan for his life and for
ours.

August 2016

Zak has everything he needs to do the will of God for his
life.

Zak started school there two weeks ago.As we walked through the school for the open
house, I fought back tears. I was reminded again the significance of Zak’s
name.Zechariah means: God
Remembers.